Have you visited a site and received a “Not Secure” warning? The reason for this warning is because the owner of the site hasn’t installed an SSL Certificate. The site’s URL starts with a “http:” instead of “https:”
A few years back, it was still ok to not have any SSL certificate installed on your website because back then your visitors will not receive any warning message on their browsers.
If you own a website or a blog in 2020, you need SSL. It’s as simple as that. An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is no longer a luxury; it’s mandatory.
What is an SSL Certificate?
An SSL Certificate ensures that all data passed between your website and a visitor’s browsers remains private and secure, so as to prevent hackers from stealing private information such as credit card numbers, names and addresses.
3 Reasons Why You Need an SSL Certificate
- It’s favourable for SEO: Since Google is cracking down on insecure websites, their search engine has also started favouring https websites. Therefore, having an insecure site could affect your ranking in search engine result pages (SERPs)
- Security: If users give your website sensitive information – credit card information, email address, contact details, etc – you need to ensure that their information is safe. SSL certificate allows private transactions between users and the browser, ensuring no data can be hijacked.
- Trust: Web browsers give visual cues, such as a lock icon or a green bar, to make sure visitors know when their connection is secured. With more and more users leaving a site after seeing the dreaded “Not Secure” warning, this could end up costing you in terms of lost credibility and business.
What Should I do if My Site is Not Secure?
Simple. Get whoever hosting your website to install it for you. Most web hosting companies offer a free SSL Certificate using Let’s Encrypt. Don’t let them pull a fast one on you by making you pay for it.
